NRL powerbrokers have reportedly eased their push for the post-season trade window, instead suggesting RLPA players could sign with rivals for the following year from June 30.
The introduction of the transfer window has been one of the sticking points in the heated dispute over collective bargaining, according to the AAP.
Currently, players can sign with rivals for the 2025 season from November 1, 2023 – giving them 15 months to sign the deal.
Watch every game LIVE ad-free while playing on FOX LEAGUE with Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Players could boycott the season opener | 00:51
Stream over 50 sports live and on demand with Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
The NRL has reportedly suggested that players could negotiate with rivals after the 2024 grand final, leaving just four months to hammer out deals.
Players reportedly bristled at the proposal, which the RLPA says puts players’ careers at risk if they suffer an injury during the season.
NRL bosses have now proposed a new date for players to sign new contracts with rival clubs from July 2024 for the 2025 season.
Reports also suggest that a mid-season transfer window between Round 10 and the end of the State of Origin showdown is also being negotiated as part of the new CBA.
RLPA members have been vocal about ongoing CBA negotiations and Broncos veteran Kurt Capewell refused to rule out a player strike when he spoke to AAP on Monday, ahead of NRL bosses’ transfer window proposal.
The Broncos, along with a number of other clubs, have refused to participate in the NRL’s promotional duties until the matter is resolved.
MORE NRL NEWS
‘I DON’T WANT TO’: Brutal benching and Wayne calls for coup with Dolphins
RA HIT LIST REVEALED: Eddie Jones opens up on rugby league raid plan
OFF-SEASON CENTRAL: Dragons spine crisis as Sullivan suffers another injury
WHISPERS: ‘One player I want’ – Ciraldo’s ‘priority’ directive to drop Dogs Crichton
‘I’m trying to be hot, sexy and fit’ | 00:59
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Register now!!
Capewell accused the NRL of not making a sincere effort to listen to players’ demands since the original CBA deadline of October 2022.
“(The NRL) believes if they wait long enough we will have to sign (but) we’re not going to stand here and watch,” Capewell told AAP.
“We are ready to draw a line in the sand and we will stand up.
“We don’t want (a players’ strike) to happen, but if the NRL sit on their heels and don’t move, who knows where it will go?”
The NRL’s salary cap is $12.1 million in 2023, a record figure and a significant increase from $9.6 million in 2022, with the minimum wage for the top 30 players rising to $120,000.
NRLW sides have also received a salary cap increase to $884,000 in 2023, although no season start date or length has yet been confirmed.
However, the RLPA claim they were only informed of the details of the new salary cap hours before the announcement and Capewell stressed the players’ concerns went beyond financial matters.
#police #Radical #transfer #window #proposal #slammed #NRL #bosses #player #strike #remains #table